Perforated or expanded sheet metal



March 5, 1929. F. HUMPHRIS 1,704,608

PERFORATED OR EXPANDED- SHEET METAL 'Filed May 12, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F 5. Fi i".

I March 5, 1929. Q HUMPHRIS 7 1,704,608

PERFORATED OR EXPANDED SHEET METAL Filed May 12, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet .2

a 1 6 6 WVE/VZUP Patented Mar. 5, 1929.

I narra e mm PATENT O-FF LC'E.

FRANK HUMPHRIS, F PARKSTONE, DORSET, ENGLAND.

PERFORATED 0R EXPANDED SHEET. METAL.

Application filed my, 12, 1927, Serial No. 190,939, and in Great isra inn fii 27,1927.

This invention relates to improved per-' forated' or expanded sheet metal which'is made from sheetv metal perforated and bent, or slit and so expanded and bent'that all the so-called connective bars or strands, which constitute the mesh-work thereof or result during its manufacture, are curved or bent in such a manner. that they project in the form of arcuated mesh-work having rows of arcuated connective bars or strands located on one side and rows of arcuated connective bars or strands located on the other side of any resulting piece or sheet of such perforated or expanded sheet metal.

VYhen giving form to the said arcuated connective bars or strands on a piece or sheet of metal an equal or approximately equal number of such arcuated connectivebars or strands are arranged to project, each in an arch-wise manner from each face of such piece or sheet of perforated or expanded metal and thus form edgewise apertures or openings in or through which either plain or screw threaded bars, rods, tubes or strips of metal or the like may be placed to serve as additional reinforcing mediums where increased strength or rigidity is required.

Where sheet metal is specially perforated or where blanks have been cut from a piece or sheet of sheet metal leavingas a residue perforated metal having connective bars or strands, such connectivebars or strands are curved or bentinto arcuate form and a convenient way of carrying this into efiect is to 'firstly arch, curve or bend one connective bar or strand in onedirectiorn; and to arch, curve or bend the immediately adj acentconnective bar or strand in an opposite direcs tion, and the next one back again in an opposite direction, and so on, in such a manner as to form two groups of arcuatedconnective bars or strands in which the crowns of one group extend in one direction from one side of the general plane of such piece or sheet of, metal and the crowns of the other group extend in the opposite direction from the other side of said plane. Alter natively instead of bending one connective bar or strand in one direction and the next one to it in an opposite direction, two or more adjacent connective bars or strands may be bent inone direction and the next .two or more in an opposite direction and so on, such arch-wise bending forming the hereinbefore' referred to edgewise apertures or openings.

arcuate form, are also soshapedthat meshes 7 having a cupped, concave-wise,countersink like or bell-mouthed form resultyand meshes so shaped are hereinafter referred to collectively as principlefrows of'meshes. or mesh-work, or individually as a principal meshso as to distinguish them from other rows of mesheshereinafter referred to .as intermediate rows of meshes or mesh-work or from any individual intermediate mesh. Each mesh in'each principal row of meshwork has integral jurictionat the widest part of the so-called short w-ay offits mesh-with another principal mesh in the nextiprincipal row of mesh-work thereto. .Each principal row of mesh-work has its meshes inverted in relation to the meshes ofthatprincipa'l row of mesh-work to or with which it is integrally connected,and-between any two such principal-rows of .mesh-workthere-is located one row of'the hereinbefore referred -to intermediate rows of mesh-work, and

each, intermediateineshis formed by part-s of the arcuated connected bars or strands of four integrally connected-principal meshes of any two integrally connected principal rows of mesh-work. c V

Sheet metal, slit, expanded and bent according to this invention with pri-ncipal meshes of a cupped, concave-wise oricountersink-like form and with eachprincipal row of mesh-work inverted in relation to the :next principal row of mesh-work'thereto, has greater rigidityv than other known forms of perforated or expanded metal having connective bars and meshes of the same sizeformed 1 05 and of the same qualityof material.

In expanded metal made according-to this invention the junction where each' connective bar or strand meets at theend-ofthe long Way of each principal mesh, is creased 55 T apertures or openings and how the connecor of V-like form in cross-section and is also optionally ridged or grooved; and the unction located at the Widest part of the short 'way of 'eachprin'cipal mesh, where it is inform in cross-section and, to give it greater rigidity, it ma'y be grooved.

An object of thisinvention is to provide rigid sheetsor pieces of perforated metal,

perforated metal residue, and expanded metal having edge-wise apertures or openings throughwhich there maybe passed, or in which'there are placed so as to remain therein, reinforcing bars or tubes or strips of metal or the like, in such a manner that such bars or the like are embraced by or lie'between the arcuated connective bars or strands 1 or so that the said reinforcing bars or the like are at right angles or thereabouts to the length-wise direction'of the so-called long vide' expanded metal having principal meshes way of the meshes.

Another object of this invention is to proof cupped, concave-wise or countersink-like form with each principal mesh inverted in relation to the principal mesh next to it and with'which it makes. junction at the widest part of the so-called short way of the mesh, thereby forming intermediate rows of meshwork, and edge-wise apertures or openings through which it is possibleto pass reinforcing bars or the like equivalents.

The invention will now be described with reference to. the accompanying drawings which are given merely by way of example, in which l Figure 1 is a face view and edge vi'ew illustrating five separate pieces of part of a sheet of the perforated metal residue, the upper portion showing suchresidue before the connective bars or strands have been given arcuate form, the other four pieces showing examples after the connective bars or strandsihave been given arcuate form and also how reinforcing medlums such as rods or the like may be passed between the arm-'- a'ted connective'bars or strands and through i the edge-wise apertures" or openings which are clearly shown figure.

Figure 2 is an edge View of a sheet of the perforated metal, to illustrate the edge-wise in the edge view of this like and the so-called flat junctions of the principal rows of mesh-work and how each prlncipal mesh in each principal row of and byl through the edge-wise apertures or openings.

Figure 4c is an edge view of Figure 3 to illustrate more clearly how the arcuated connective bars or strands are curved or bent,

some in one and some in a reverse direction, thus forming the edge-wise apertures or openings in and through some of which reinforcing mediums are shown.

Figure 5 is a View, partly in section,'on an enlarged scale, of a piece of the perforated metal residue to illustrate the rid-ging or grooving of the junctions andth'e arcuated connective bars or strands for the purpose of increasing their rigidity.

Figure 6 is an end view enlarged, partly in section, on the line AB Figure 3 illusarcuated connective bars or strands; this figure illustrates clearly the cupped, concave-wise, countersink-like or bell-mouthed form given to each principal mesh in each principal row of mesh-work and how each principal row of mesh-work is inverted in relation to the next. Figure 8 is a view to show how the flat junctions and the arcuated connective bars or strands are optionally grooved or chamnelled to increase their rigidity. i

Figure 9'is'a view to show how the .V-like junctions and the arcuated connective bars or strands are optionally'grooved or channelled to increase their rigidity.

Figure 10 is an end view of FigureT.

throughout the drawings. j

' Convenient methods of 'carrying'this invention into effect are clearly illustrated referring to Figure 1 of the drawings t e upper portion of this figure illustrating a piece of part of a sheet of perforated metal, before any of its connective bars orstrands have been given arcuate form, the piece below it having arcuated con nective bars or strands m alternately so bent Like letters of reference refer to like parts or formed as to be curved in opposite direc tions, thus forming edge-wise apertures or openings 2) clearly seen in Fig. 2, and it is through these apertures or openings 6; that the bars or the like a as shown are optionally placed; the piece midway of Figure 1 shows another form of placement for the arcuated trating the fiat junctions between principal v connective bars for strands a; the piece imrection and the next two arcuated connective-bars or strands a, pro ect in a reverse direction; the piece at the bottom of Figure 1 illustrates how three adjacent arcuated connective bars or strands a project in one direction and the next three arcuated connective bars or strands a project in a reverse direction. The edge-view of each of the four lower pieces illustrated in Figure 1 shows the edge-wise apertures or openings Z) which result, with bars or the like a therethrough, but it is to be understood that any number of adjacent connective bars or strands may be curved in any one and in any reverse direction. I

The use of bars, rods or the like 0 as shown in each of the edge-wise apertures or openings b in Figure 1 is optional and occasional as metal having connective bars or strands a arcuated according to this invention is ex tremely rigid.

Figure 2 of, the drawings is an edge view of a piece of my improved perforated metal with arcuated connective bars or strands a, illustrated partly in section, its junctions d being creased or grooved at d to increase their rigidity. The edge-wise apertures or openings Z) in this view are shown without rods, bars or the like 0 therethrough.

The plan views of the pieces of sheets of my improved expanded metal shown in Fig ures 3 and 7 illustrate how the arcuated con nective bars or strands a project, some in one direction and some in a reverse direction. These views also illustrate how each principal mesh f in each pincipal row of meshwork F-F is inverted in relation to each principal mesh 9 in each or the next principal row of mesh-work GG and how each principal mesh 7 is integrally connected to a principal mesh g by a so-called fiat junction (Z in such a manner that there are between each two integrally connected rows of meshwork F F and GG, intermediate rows of mesh-work HH consisting of meshes h which are the result of the method of expanding my improved expanded metal and due to the form of placement of the V-like junctions e and the junctions (Z on the principal meshes f and The cupped, concavewise, countersink-llke or bell-mouthed form of each principal mesh 9 in each principal row of mesh-work G-G is clearly illustrated in Figures 3 and 7 wherein, in which rods, bars or the like 0 are shown in position between some of the arcuated connective bars a and through some of "the edge-wise apertures or openings 6.

' Each edge-wise aperture or opening I) is formed as the result of giving arcuate form to the connective bars or strands a, as is clearly shown in Figure 4, which nan edge view of Figure 3, and in both ofthese figures bars,:rods' or the .likec are shown extending through-some of the edge-wise apertures or openings '6. in some of the positions they would occupy, if or when employed.-

. The junctions (Z and the arcuated connective'bars or strands a ofm'y improved periforated'metal are optionally channelled or grooved and a convenient method of carrying this into eifect is illustrated in Figure 5. When rods, bars or the like 0 are used and passed through the edge-wise apertures or openings 6 of a piece or sheet of my improved expanded metal, the V-like junctions e are so located that they are contiguous to the said bars, rods or the like 0, this can be clearly seen in Figures 6 and 10 of the drawings.

Both the V-like junctions e' and the flatjunctions (Z of my improved expanded metal are optionally creased, ridged or rooved at (Z when it-is desired to make t em more rigid, as are also the arcuated connective bars or strands a and convenient methods of carrying this into effect are shownin Figures 8 and 9 of the drawings.

I claim:

1. Sheet metal perforated to form a meshwork having the junctions of the meshes lying in one plane, and the connective bars forming the strands of the mesh bent alternately outward from the opposite sides of said plane to form edge-wise apertures.

2. Sheet metal perforated to form a meshwork comprising contiguous principal rows of meshes connected at junctions to form intermediate rows of meshes, the strands forming each mesh of the principal rows being arcuate and curved in opposite directions to one another to form edge-wise apertures, the junctions of the meshes lying in a median plane between. the envelope planes of the strands of oppositeisurvature.

3. Sheet metal perforated to form a meshwork comprising arcuate strands forming principal rows of'meshes, the junctions of the meshes lying in a median plane, the

strands of anyone row lying on one side of a median plane of the sheet and the strands of adjacent rows lying on the opposite side uated in..-one plane lying between the said diflerent planes.

6. Sheet metal perforated to form a meshwork having the material at the points of 5 junction of grooved cross section, the junctions of the meshes in each row being in a median plane and the junctions of the meshes of one row with adjacent rows being memos respectively on opposite sides of "the said median plane. a 1

7. Sheet metal perforated to'form a mesh- Work having the connective bars forming the strands of the meshes bent to form edge Wise apertures and rods inserted through the 7 said edge-Wise apertures.

' FRANK HUMPHRIS. 

